Overburden A Major Environmental Issue of Open Cast Coal Mining - Overview

Abstract

Coal is the prime source of energy in India as well as Opencast mining of coal damage a large land surface area, displace people from their natural home and cause agricultural losses. This raises a number of environmental challenges, including soil erosion, dust, noise, and water pollution impacts on local biodiversity. During the past two decades the demand, as well as the production of the coal, grew very fast. The Opencast mine involves up-rooting of vegetation, scrapping of soil cover and drastic change in the topography. This process creates an ecological imbalance which is difficult to reverse.

Generation of dump waste from opencast mines in any coalfield threatens the social sustainability of land use pattern in many ways. The overburden dumps formed outside the open pits which occupying the lands alter the surface topography and contribute to the environmental degradation. In the present paper a attempt has been made to study the impact of physical properties of overburden of open cast coal mining, it’s impact and their environment management.